Physical Activity (formerly National Healthy Lifestyle Programme)
 The National Healthy Lifestyle Programme was launched in 1992 by Mr Goh Chok Tong, then the Prime Minister of Singapore. Since 1996, a Civic Committee on Healthy Lifestyle has been set up to facilitate community involvement and participation in healthy lifestyle activities. Representatives of the Committee come from community organisations, professional groups, the media and private industry. The Committee has proven invaluable in harnessing the participation of the public.
The Programme aims to raise awareness among Singaporeans of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, maintaining healthy body weight and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to practice healthy lifestyle. The Programme promotes four components of a healthy lifestyle - regular exercise, healthy eating, no smoking and managing stress. The Programme also endeavours to make the social and physical environment more supportive of healthy living.
The target audience is the general population. Efforts are made to customise our outreach programmes to cater to special groups such as the various ethnic groups, working population and senior citizens.
The key strategies include:
- Adopting a multi-pronged approach to increase awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyle by reaching out to different population groups with varied and customised programmes in various settings such as the community and workplaces;
- Empowering Singaporeans with knowledge and skills to adopt healthy lifestyle practices; and
- Collaborating with public, private and community organisations to facilitate the adoption of healthy lifestyle practices and to create a supportive environment conducive for healthy lifestyle practices.
Annual Campaign
A month-long National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign is held annually to raise greater awareness among Singaporeans of the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The campaign launch involves mass participation and usually incorporates a mass physical activity. Following the launch, the entire month is filled with face-to-face activities to reach different sectors of the population. The campaign is also supported by a mass media campaign to further drive home the message.
Programmes for the Community
Throughout the year, a wide range of healthy lifestyle promotion activities, such as public forums, talks, health fairs and exhibitions are conducted. Most of these activities are held jointly with our partners from both the public and private sector.
One of the significant partnerships includes collaborations with the various Community Development Councils (CDC). Central Singapore On the Move (CSOTM) was an initiative launched in June 2004 to motivate individuals to brisk walk on a regular basis. With North West CDC, regular sessions were conducted to improve their brisk walking clubs members’ knowledge and skills on healthy lifestyle.
The Healthy Lifestyle Ambassador Award was introduced in 2003 to recognise individuals who lead healthy lifestyles and have made outstanding contributions to actively promote and support healthy lifestyles in the community. The award aims to nurture a pool of Singaporeans with skills in promoting healthy lifestyle. They will also serve as models for others to emulate and take healthy lifestyle promotion at the community level to new heights.
Programmes for Specific Groups
HPB also embarked on numerous health promotion programmes targeting the Malay community through partnerships with the mosques and other Malay/Muslim organisations. Innovative ways of educating the Malay community about healthy lifestyle include quizzes, cooking and exercise sessions, telematches and interactive exhibitions.
In 2004, exercise routines with a local twist were introduced to the Malay community. 'Sheikarobics', initiated by World Champion Silat Exponent, Sheilk Alau’ddin, is a 30-minute workout that incorporates silat, a form of martial arts, with aerobics. Suitable for both males and females, it helps improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen and tone body muscles. Specially tailored for women wearing kebayas is the 'Kebayarobics' which was popularised by the Simei Briskwalking group. This fun and upbeat aerobics appeals to women of all ages. The Kebayarobics VCDs is available for purchase at $3 each from the Health Information Centre.
Programmes for Workplaces
 Fitness@Work is the latest initiative to encourage the working population to incorporate exercise into their daily lives. Jointly-organised by HPB and California Fitness Centre, it offers weekly workout sessions near workplaces.
Learn more about Fitness@Work and check out where the workout sessions are held this month.
Programmes for Community
 PowerWalk is a new initiative focused on brisk-walking conducted at the park connectors and nature reserves in Singapore. As brisk-walking is generally of lower intensity compared to most other types of physical activity, this programme is targeted at individuals across all age groups, particularly those that currently lead sedentary lifestyles. |
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